[scooby05]

Originally Posted by harit

This is an interesting thread.
In the days of old, and mainly abroad, a train set was a fundamental toy to have, just like play station today. And it could develop into a serious hobby. Today it is mainly the older generation that plays with them. The main reasons are finacial, and other interests.
There are 3 to 4 standard scales, but the most popular and accurate is the HO scale, 1:87. You get trains, tracks, cars, houses, anything to build a lifelike scenario. This trip in Germany I saw 2 built up sets. Mostly these are set up on table-tennis sized tables and are either in the basement or in the attic. You get signals that work, level crossongs that come down when a train approaches, very very fascinating. You can even change tracks, first it was done manually, later on electical switching was also possible.
The best companies were Marklin, Fleishmann and RoCo. Very life like models. The best for the cars etc. is a company called Wiking.
It always depends upon how much you spend to have detailed setups. In the first stage you can set up the tracks and the trains move with power supplied through the rails. Then you can go one step further and install overhead cabelling. Train can be run simultaneously with both systems, steam engines cannot use overhead supply. You can go further and illuminate passenge coaches. Then you can install street light and put lights in houses. When one sees such a train set duly set up, it is so very fascinating for children and adults alike.
In Germany you can even buy used stuff at sales which are held somewhere or the other every weekend. And they have two major shows every year dedicated to train sets.
I have not mentioned Hornby because these were mainly in plastic, the others mentioned by me were metal with greater detailing, much more sturdy. Am not aware if Hornby later also had metal bodied trains.
I kept what I had collected, but discontinued for 3 reasons, space, time and money. Tikuji-ni-wadi at Thane had a room with a running trainset, I do not know if it is still there.

Happy train-ing harit

Harit, I like you Knowledge!
I have a MARKLIN set from the '60s, which my Father got for me over 3 of his trips to Germany. Complete with electric/diesel/steam engines, passengers/goods/tanker bogies,signals, crossings etc etc. The last time i opened the boxes and installed the set[which takes about 3 hours] was when my younger daughter was 8 years old and thats in 1990!!
Phew. Guess I shall redo this for my Grandson in the next few years, but, modern children will get very bored very soon, since these are slow to their fast pace PS3 and flying helicopters etc etc.
There was this sports shop at Dhobi Talao who long back did stock some of these original model train sets etc. dont know if its still around, not the india hobby centre, from where we would buy model balsam wood planes.

[ampere]

@Shankar !

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I also love reading about the great train journeys of the world and indeed read some of the authors you've mentioned. You could possibly add Ruskin Bond to that list!

I forgot to mention that. I have almost all of them ! When you read Ruskin Bond and imagine the trains running on the valleys of Dehra, its really fun!

I also love travelling on trains in the UK and Europe - main thing is that they are so clean!

European railways have really amazing routes esp. the SNCF. Amazing line along the Mediterranean. Paris <-> Monaco <-> Nice <-> Cannes ! Thats my favourite.

In India I have done almost all the arterial sections. Delhi-Mumbai; Del-Chennai; Mumbai-Chennai; Chennai-Howrah; Blr-Delhi

And many many more Delhi-Goa, Konkan, Eastern India (Howrah-Jalpaiguri) North India (Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Jammu),
All Rajasthan, Most MP, Karnataka/AP (Hubli-Darwah, Blr, Guntakal, ...), Goa (Londa, Castle rock, Madgaon, all Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The toy trains as well (Darjeeling and Ooty) and many many more.

And I must say every time I sit on a train, it feels like its the first time !

Ref the next scale model railway I ve got my eye on, it is the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express from Hornby Trains! Lets see when I manage to acquire that one! The existing Flying Scotsman that I have, I bought ages ago - more than 11-12 years back as a replacement to the one my Dad gifted me when I was small - it was another original Hornby (Made in England) but being of a naughty disposition of course I dissassembled that one and could never put it back together again.
this Flying Scotsman which I have, I havent set up and run for more than 5 years - I should do that one weekend and enjoy it again!

cheers

Totally rookie here. How functional are these? Functional in the sense, do they really emulate the actual nature of motion viz. steam, diesel etc?

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by tonrag

Here are photos of a model that I'm building of the DHR B class engine. the material used is handmade paper, made from elephant dung! The scale is 1:16.
Shall post pictures again, once I've completed the model, which should be in a few days or weeks! I've already clocked more than 1000 hours making this model. Pure Masochism!

TonRag, Sir, the attention to detail in your work is simply awesome ! Are you planning to paint it ?

1:16 is quite a large scale though, are you planning the locomotive to be part of a larger diorama ? Once again, amazing work...

[KSM-Vtec]

This is the world's biggest train set which covers 1,150 square meters (12,380 square feet),six miles of track and is still not complete

It is expected to be finished in 2014, when the train set will cover more than 1,800 square meters (19, 376 sq ft) and feature almost 13 miles of track, by which time detailed models of parts of France, Italy and the UK will have been added

The longest train is 46ft long...The scenery includes 900 signals, 2,800 buildings, 4,000 cars - many with illuminated headlights.. ....and 160,000 individually designed figures

The 250,000 lights are rigged up to a system which mimics night and day by automatically turning them on and off

...The whole system is controlled from a massive high-tech nerve centre

[shankar.balan]

there are a number of functional sets - they are called "Live Steam" from Hornby. You can if you wish hop on to the hornby website and subscribe to their newsletter. It makes for nice reading.

The one I have is a normal electrically operated machine - it makes only a whirring sound when in operation and is controlled by a master controller attached with wires to the track, which feeds electricity to the tracksystem.

as one progresses up the ladder, one can have as elaborate a set as the one pictured in the previous post but one needs space, time and above all money to do that.

Train sets were pretty much a fundamental toy to have as remarked by others on this thread - it was common in the 40's-50's-60's-70's but now I think it has given way to electronic toys.

The Transport Museum in York, UK has some very nice displays involving trains. Also the Railway Museum in the UK which I went to has some amazing displays of Model trains.

Originally Posted by ampere

@Shankar !



I forgot to mention that. I have almost all of them ! When you read Ruskin Bond and imagine the trains running on the valleys of Dehra, its really fun!

European railways have really amazing routes esp. the SNCF. Amazing line along the Mediterranean. Paris <-> Monaco <-> Nice <-> Cannes ! Thats my favourite.

In India I have done almost all the arterial sections. Delhi-Mumbai; Del-Chennai; Mumbai-Chennai; Chennai-Howrah; Blr-Delhi

And many many more Delhi-Goa, Konkan, Eastern India (Howrah-Jalpaiguri) North India (Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Jammu),
All Rajasthan, Most MP, Karnataka/AP (Hubli-Darwah, Blr, Guntakal, ...), Goa (Londa, Castle rock, Madgaon, all Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The toy trains as well (Darjeeling and Ooty) and many many more.

And I must say every time I sit on a train, it feels like its the first time !

Totally rookie here. How functional are these? Functional in the sense, do they really emulate the actual nature of motion viz. steam, diesel etc?

[Gany]

What voltage does these model trains run?

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Gany

What voltage does these model trains run?

Almost all DC hornby sets are powered by 12V DC...

[askssh]

Originally Posted by Gany

What voltage does these model trains run?

For typical DCC sets, it is 15V AC (yes, AC) that powers the locos.

I recently planned a layout (DCC) and still working on that. I am going to post some pics as is.

[tonrag]

I've finally finished the paper DHR loco. Here are some pictures.

[tonrag]

Sorry, the pictures did not upload for some reason. Here they are.

[Punzabi]

@Tonrag: your model is an absolute example of craftsmanship and dedication. You elaborated on every minute detail. Hats off buddy..

[askssh]

Here are a few pics of what I am trying to do:













...a work still in progress...!

Well, I am trying to model around a typical freight yard with a main line and a loop line close to an Indian industrial town.

[sidindica]

I have this "continental train", purchased in 1992 from Darjeeling.







Can you see something suspicious in this pic?

[shankar.balan]

i can see a Pinnacle 4 Golf Ball
Also what looks like a Maruti Suzuki Owners Manual
And a mean looking Robot sort of thing.

So whats the mystery here?

[quote=sidindica;1747432]I have this "continental train", purchased in 1992 from Darjeeling.

Can you see something suspicious in this pic?

[ATTACH]293990

[Gany]

Hi Askssh, That looks nice How big is this layout? where are you getting the tracks & trains for this? Can't wait to see your layout finished!